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Monday, 8 October 2012

KING ‘TO DECIDE ON GOVT’S FUTURE’

King Mswati III is expected to decide today (8 October
2012) whether to sack his cabinet, following a vote of no-confidence in the
House of Assembly.

Although the Swazi Constitution states clearly that the King
must dismiss his government, he has so far failed to do so.

The House made its decision on Wednesday (3 October 2012)
and Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini had three days to resign, but he refused to
do so.

Despite the clarity of the Constitution, King Mswati, who
is sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, has so far refused to act. The
King appointed Dlamini, who was not elected to parliament, in 2008 in
contravention of the Constitution and has supported him ever since.

The King also handpicked the rest of the government so any
of its failings will be seen by some as also a failure of his own judgement.

The King’s advisory council Liqoqo was due to meet today
to discuss the matter. The SwaziObserver,the newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati, reported that
Liqoqo would examine with a ‘fine comb’ a ruling made by the International
Arbitration Court (IAC) over the closing of some services by parastatal
Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC) which was the cause
of the vote of no-confidence.

Parliamentarians are angry at the way the government
handled the matter, but Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini clams that his government
was forced to act in the way it did because not to do so would be to defy the IAC
and be contempt of the rule of law.

Dlamini has been adamant that his government has done no
wrong and claims the no-confidence vote is null and void.

However, news emerged today that despite its name, the IAC
is not a court, but an arbitration service, and that the Swazi Government was
not obliged to abide by its ruling.

The Liqoqo Chairman Prince Logcogco Mangaliso told the Observer that Liqoqo and another
advisory body, the Ludzidzini Committee, would meet to decide what advice to
give the King.

The Indvuna of Ludzidzini TV Mtsefwa, who is commonly
known as the ‘traditional prime minister’ and is considered to be close to King
Mswati and to have more influence on him than the constitutional Prime Minister
told the Observer he hoped the
meeting with the King would take place today.